David Jason: My Life - Google Books
David Jason
British actor (born )
"David John White" redirects here. For the cricketer, see David White (New Zealand cricketer).
Sir David Jason OBE | |
|---|---|
Jason in | |
| Born | David John White () 2 February (age&#;84) Edmonton, Middlesex, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, screenwriter, television producer |
| Years&#;active | –present |
| Spouse | Gill Hinchcliffe &#; (m.&#;)&#; |
| Partner | Myfanwy Talog (–; her death)[2] |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Arthur White (brother) |
Sir David John White (born 2 February [3][4]), known professionally as David Jason, is an English actor.
He has played Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Detective Inspector Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost,Granville in Open All Hours and Still Open All Hours, and Pop Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as well as voicing several cartoon characters, including Mr.
Toad in The Wind in the Willows, the BFG in the film, and the title characters of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula.
In September , Jason had topped the poll to find TV's 50 Greatest Stars, as part of ITV's 50th anniversary celebrations.[5] He was knighted in for services to acting and comedy.
Jason has won four British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), (, , , ), four British Comedy Awards (, , , ) and seven National Television Awards ( twice, , twice, and ).
Early life
Jason's father, Arthur Robert White, was a porter at Billingsgate Fish Market, and his mother, Olwen Jones, was from Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, and worked as a charwoman.
She gave birth to twin boys at North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton, London, in February , but Jason's twin brother died during childbirth, making him a twinless twin. He chose the stage name Jason because he liked Jason and the Argonauts, as the stage name "David White" was already taken, and not in tribute to his dead twin as has sometimes been claimed.[6]
Jason lived at Lodge Lane, North Finchley, and attended Northfield Secondary Modern school after failing the plus in [7] Upon leaving school, Jason wanted to be an actor, influenced by his brother, but their father advised that he first learn a trade.
He trained as an electrician for six years, before retiring and becoming a struggling actor.
Jason's elder brother is the actor Arthur White, born in The two appeared together in the crime drama A Touch of Frost, with Arthur playing police archivist Ernie Trigg; and again in , in the comic fantasyThe Colour of Magic, where Arthur played a character called "Rerpf".
He also appeared briefly with his brother in two episodes of The Darling Buds of May.
When Jason was 15, he spent a year working as a mechanic's assistant. When he turned 16, he was eligible to register for an apprenticeship, but decided against it.[8]
Radio and TV career
Early years
Jason started his television career in playing the part of Bert Bradshaw in Crossroads.
In , he played spoof super-hero Captain Fantastic, among other roles, in the children's comedy series Do Not Adjust Your Set (Rediffusion London/ITV) with Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Denise Coffey, and Michael Palin. Humphrey Barclay, who recruited Jason to appear in Do Not Adjust Your Set (partly to counter the more highbrow style of Idle, Jones, and Palin),[9] admired his sense of timing.
The programme ended in , and the character then appeared for a time in the Thames Television children's programme Magpie. Jason appeared in the BBC comedy series Hugh and I in , which starred Hugh Lloyd and Terry Scott as two friends who lived together in South London. He appeared in the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "That's How Murder Snowballs" () as Abel, a framed performer in a major London theatre.
In , Jason was initially cast in the role of Lance Corporal Jones in the Jimmy Perry and David Croft BBC comedy Dad's Army. Croft had been very impressed with Jason and believed that he had the talent to play a man much older than his real age. However, BBC executive Bill Cotton overruled him, casting Clive Dunn because he was better known.
According to Jason, "I was cast at 12 o'clock and sacked by three."[10] Jason also subsequently missed out on the starring role of Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em in because BBC executives at the time believed that he lacked "star quality".[11]
In the s, he also acted in radio comedies, including the weekly topical satireWeek Ending (in which he regularly played such figures as then UK Foreign Secretary Dr David Owen) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (as the "B Ark Captain" in the sixth episode).
Jason also appeared in The Next Programme Follows Almost Immediately and made appearances on panel games such as The Impressionists as well as his own series, The Jason Explanation. In the early s, he appeared in Mostly Monkhouse.
Jason appeared on stage in the West End in the farceNo Sex Please, We're British playing Brian Runnicles for 18 months in He also starred with Valerie Leon in a stage comedy "Darling Mr London" which toured in
Jason appeared in variety shows as the supporting act of Dick Emery and his performances caught the attention of Ronnie Barker.
Jason was recruited to appear in Hark at Barker (LWT, ), starring opposite Barker's Lord Rustless, as Dithers, the year old gardener. There was also a sequel, His Lordship Entertains () for the BBC. Jason played idealistic employee Granville in the first programme of the comedy anthology Seven of One (), called Open All Hours (BBC) and starring Barker as the curmudgeonly proprietor of a corner shop.
Four series of Open All Hours were made from to He featured in Barker's Porridge (BBC), a prison comedy, as the elderly Blanco in three episodes. Jason also appeared with Barker in various disguises in The Two Ronnies, including providing the "raspberry" sound effect for The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town.
Jason starred in London Weekend Television's Lucky Feller (–76), written by Terence Frisby and produced by Humphrey Barclay.
About two brothers in south-east London, the series was in many ways a forerunner to Only Fools And Horses.[12] He played the lead role of Peter Barnes in the ATV sitcom A Sharp Intake of Breath (–81), alongside Alun Armstrong and Richard Wilson. In , he appeared as Buttons in the pantomimeCinderella at Newcastle's Theatre Royal, starring Leah Bell and Bobby Thompson, produced by Michael Grayson and directed by John Blackmore.
Children's television
In the s, Jason developed a working partnership with Cosgrove Hall, and was a voice-over artist for a number of children's television productions. This included voices for Danger Mouse, The BFG, Count Duckula, Hugo from Victor and Hugo, and Toad from The Wind in the Willows, all produced by Cosgrove Hall for Thames Television/ITV.
He provided the voice of Father Christmas in Father Christmas and the Missing Reindeer, Rola Polar in The Adventures of Dawdle the Donkey, Angelmouse, and did voices in animated films including Wombling Free and The Water Babies.[13]
Transition into a leading man
In , Jason was cast as Del Boy Trotter in the BBC situation comedy Only Fools and Horses, created by John Sullivan.
Del is a wide boy who makes a dishonest living in Peckham, south London, trading in broken, stolen, and counterfeit goods. He is assisted by his brother Rodney (played by Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Grandad (played by Lennard Pearce) and, in later episodes, Uncle Albert (played by Buster Merryfield).
In , Jason starred as Ted Simcock in the ITV drama series A Bit of a Do, aired from January to December.
In , Jason starred as Captain Frank Beck in BBC's feature-length drama All the King's Men about the Sandringham regiment lost in World War I. He earned acclaim for a string of serious roles. These include Skullion in Porterhouse Blue (for Channel 4), Sidney "Pop" Larkin in the rural idyll The Darling Buds of May (Yorkshire Television/ITV), based on the H.
E. Bates novel, which also featured Catherine Zeta-Jones.
In , he signed a golden handcuffs deal with ITV to star as Detective Inspector Jack Frost in the long-running TV series A Touch of Frost (Yorkshire Television/ITV). In September , he was voted by the general public as No. 1 in ITV's poll of TV's Greatest Stars.[14] In December , he starred in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather on Sky1 as Albert.
David jason actor Skip to Content The Penguin Podcast is back! Listen Now Home David Jason. Books Biography. Amazon Blackwells Bookshop. Sir David Jason's career, from the outside, might seem like one glorious procession to national treasure status.In early , he starred in Diamond Geezer (Granada Television/ITV). This series ran for 3 episodes of 90 minutes each. There was a pilot in In March , he starred as Rincewind in Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic, and in the two part ITV drama Ghostboat.
On 16 September , Jason announced that he would step down from his role as Jack Frost after 16 years.[15] Three new episodes of the show were shown in autumn , and were followed by a two-part finale in Approached by BBC1 controller Danny Cohen in early , he read three scripts and agreed to shoot a pilot for The Royal Bodyguard, which was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival.
The pilot episode aired on the BBC on Boxing Day but received a poor critical response. The series was axed after six episodes. In , Jason starred in a made-for-TV movie Come Rain Come Shine with Alison Steadman for ITV about an elderly Millwall supporter.[16]
Since , he has starred in Still Open All Hours.
It features many original cast members (and a portrait of Ronnie Barker as Arkwright) and is still written by Roy Clarke, the original writer and creator of the show. He has also starred as Captain Skipper, a sea captain, sea dog and Pip's uncle in the animated series Pip Ahoy!.
In December , Jason made a surprise cameo appearance on the Christmas Special of Strictly Come Dancing in the role of Del Boy to pass on a special message to The Repair Shop's Jay Blades, who was performing to the Only Fools and Horses theme tune.[17]
Honours
In , Jason was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Twelve years later, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of , he was knighted for services to acting and comedy.[18] Upon receiving the knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 1 December , he said he was "humbled" by the "fantastic tribute".[19][20]
Personal life
Jason lived with his long-term girlfriend, Welsh actress Myfanwy Talog, for 18 years and nursed her through breast cancer until she died in [21]
On 26 February , Jason became a father at the age of 61 when his girlfriend, year-old Gill Hinchcliffe, gave birth to a girl in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury.[22] Jason and Hinchcliffe married in and live in Ellesborough, Buckinghamshire.
In , Jason discovered that he had another daughter, of whom he had been previously unaware, who was born in following a brief relationship with actress Jennifer Hill.[23][24]
Jason is a patron of the Shark Trust,[25] a United Kingdom registered charity working to advance the worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action.
He has also been Honorary Vice Patron of the Royal International Air Tattoo since , and on 29 May , presented a cheque on behalf of the Fairford-based RAF Charitable Trust for £, to the British RAF Air Cadet Organisation, to fund flight simulators for Air Cadets.[26] Jason is a qualified helicopter pilot.[27]
Jason has expressed a negative opinion of the European Union, being quoted in a interview with "the Germans want to run Europe.
The irony is that here we are, the world has changed, and the Germans want to run Europe. They failed to do it by war, twice. What is it? Is this the Fourth Reich?"[28]
In October , he released his autobiography called David Jason: My Life.[29] It was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards "Best Book of the Year".[30] A second volume, Only Fools and Stories: From Del Boy to Granville, Pop Larkin to Frost, was published in October Penguin Books announced A Del Of A Life, which is Jason's third autobiography and was published in October [31]
In September , it was reported that a "credible threat was made to his life", although it is not known why Jason had been targeted.[32]
Works
Books
Television
Film
Animation
Radio
Awards and nominations
Jason won a total of eighteen awards between and His hit comedy show Only Fools and Horses won many awards.
His crime drama A Touch of Frost has also won and been nominated numerous times. Porterhouse Blue, The Second Quest, All the King's Men and A Bit of a Do have won David Jason one award each.
David jason biography asda stores Asda is welcoming back David Lepley to the supermarket as its chief supply chain officer to lead its food and general merchandise supply operations. Lepley joins in the newly created role from Morrisons, where he served as executive group operations director of the grocery giant. The move marks a return home for the exec, having previously spent over 11 years with Asda, starting as a Christmas temp and leaving the retailer as vice president online grocery operations. The changes included confirmation that Liz Evans, who currently leads the George clothing brand , would serve as chief commercial officer, non-food and retail on a permanent basis, and the appointment of fellow Asda returner Ade McKeon as vice president of ambient. With inflation still soaring and retailers hit hard by the Autumn Budget, could be.References
- ^"David Jason marries in secret". Manchester Evening News. 1 December
- ^Morgan, Sion (13 October ). "Sir David Jason opens up on tragic romance with Welsh actress". WalesOnline.
- ^"Jason, Sir David".
Who's Who. A&#;&&#;C Black.
(Subscription or UK public library membership required.) - ^"David Jason". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 May Retrieved 14 January
- ^"David Jason". 9 September Retrieved 10 May
- ^Hughes, Heather. "David Jason".
Archived from the original on 30 September Retrieved 13 June
- ^Jardine, Cassandra (4 August ). "The return of the secondary modern". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January
- ^"David Jason on TV-am in ". 9 March Archived from the original on 26 January &#; via
- ^Wilmut, Roger ().
From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy –. Eyre Methuen. p.&#;
- ^"Jason to receive this year's BAFTA Fellowship". BBC Online. 7 April Retrieved 5 April
- ^"David Jason rejected for lead role in Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em because BBC execs thought he lacked 'star quality'".
The Daily Telegraph. 26 March Archived from the original on 11 January Retrieved 5 April
- ^Bennett, Steve.
Nicholas lyndhurst biography
Born the son of a Billingsgate market porter at the height of the Second World War, David Jason spent his early life dodging bombs and bullies, both with impish good timing. Giving up on an unloved career as an electrician, he turned his attention to acting and soon, through a natural talent for making people laugh, found himself working with the leading lights of British comedy in the s and '70s: Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Bob Monkhouse and Ronnie Barker. Barker would become a mentor to David, leading to hugely successful stints in Porridge and Open All Hours. He's been a shopkeeper and a detective inspector, a crime-fighter and a market trader, and he ain't finished yet. As Del Boy would say, it's all cushty."Only some Lucky Fellers become sitcom stars&#;: Correspondents &#;: Chortle&#;: The UK Comedy Guide". . Retrieved 8 June
- ^Jason, David (). David Jason: My Life. Random House. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
- ^Maume, Chris (20 December ). "David Jason: The critically acclaimed small screen actor who is nobody's fool | The Independent".
The Independent. Retrieved 8 June
- ^"Sir David quitting Touch of Frost". BBC News. 16 September Retrieved 16 September
- ^"Come Rain Come Shine". IMDb.
- ^"Strictly Come Dancing Sir David Jason and Huw Edwards make surprise appearance during Christmas special".
Metro. 25 December Retrieved 20 January
- ^"No. ". The London Gazette. 15 September p.&#;
- ^"Del Boy knighted in Queen's list". BBC News. 11 June Retrieved 19 November
- ^"David Jason collects knighthood".
BBC News. 1 December Retrieved 19 November
- ^Shillcock, Francesca (13 October ). "Who is David Jason married to? All you need to know". Hello!. Retrieved 28 March
- ^Alleyne, Richard (27 February ). "David Jason's new role as father at 61". The Telegraph.
London, UK. Archived from the original on 11 January Retrieved 19 November
- ^Lewis, Isobel (28 March ). "Surprise is an understatement': David Jason discovers year-old daughter he didn't know existed". Independent. Retrieved 28 March
- ^Media, P. A. (27 March ). "David Jason 'delighted' to discover year-old daughter he never knew".Sophie mae jason I am an expert in: Performance management Employee Engagement Cultural Change Restructuring Business Growth I currently speak extensively to conferences both in the UK and internationally ; consult in a variety of sectors in the area of culture and performance ; and mentor CEOs and Executives. I am also Chairman of the Institute for Employment Studies. I was People Director of Asda from to I commenced my career in the Coal Industry and am a People Generalist. I honed my Industrial Relations skills in the 'Crucible' of the Miners' Strikes and the subsequent Restructuring of the Mining Industry, in preparation for privatisation.
The Guardian. ISSN&#; Retrieved 28 March
- ^"The Shark Trust – Sir David Jason". . Archived from the original on 19 August Retrieved 17 August
- ^Leigh, Jane (30 May ). "'Del Boy' Marks Trust's £1 Million Moment". . Archived from the original on 29 August Retrieved 17 August
- ^Deacon, Michael (11 October ).
"David Jason: Interview". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January Retrieved 23 December
- ^"'At Least We're Not Throwing Bombs at Each Other': Actor David Jason on Germany's 'Fourth Reich'". Huffington Post. 18 December
- ^"David Jason shares his Only Fools and Horses secrets".
The Daily Telegraph. 10 October Archived from the original on 13 October Retrieved 25 October
- ^"Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane named Book of the Year". 27 December Retrieved 9 August
- ^"A Del Of A Life". 2 April
- ^Deen, Sarah (24 September ).
"David Jason pictured arriving on set with two security guards after 'credible threat' on his life".
David Jason - Penguin Books UK: The long-awaited autobiography of one of Britain’s best-loved actors Born the son of a Billingsgate market porter at the height of World War II, David Jason spent his early life dodging bombs.
Metro. Retrieved 24 September
- ^Hildred, Stafford; Ewbank, Tim (). Sir David Jason – A Life of Laughter. John Blake Publishing. ISBN&#;.
- ^"The Lancaster Bomber at 80 with David Jason". . Retrieved 15 October
- ^"Sir David Jason and Jay Blades MBE's Touring Toolshed commissioned for BBC Two and iPlayer".
. Retrieved 23 June
- ^"David Jason". IMDb. Retrieved 26 June
- ^"Radio 4 Programmes – Book at Bedtime: A Christmas Carol". BBC. Retrieved 13 June